hi all i have not done the continent since 2004. the last time i transited through germany you used to get your vignette at the ferry booths in dover when you booked on the boat.i used to get the vignette for say , 2 days, just to get me to the austrian border. from reading some of the posts on here i see that there is something called the maut now that you have to get to travel through germany. i just wondered what the proceedure is now, can you still get the vignette at the ferry booths for travelling through belgium,holland ? and how do you go on when you arrive at the german border. any help on this matter would be greatly apprecited
The ferry booths seem to have stopped doing the vignette, you can still get it at the tunnel or in Ashford and some brave folks say you can run to Jabbeke 
As for the MAUT it is easy to find at the D border and is paid with a fuel card or cash, without a OBU it can be a pain in the arse, especially on multi drop
Wheel Nut:
The ferry booths seem to have stopped doing the vignette, you can still get it at the tunnel or in Ashford and some brave folks say you can run to Jabbeke
You don’t have to risk going that far. You can get it at the first service station in Belgium, the Texaco at Mannekensvere. That’s where I got it on Sunday when the machines were not working at the tunnel.
The MAUT machines, apart from being dog slow, have another drawback unless you park on the border for the night. When you first use it, the system assumes you are starting on a fresh card. It gives a quite generous time limit for a run, but not if you need to take 9 or 11 rest on the first ticket.
So, if your going to have to split your journey with a rest, only pay MAUT to where you intend to spend the night. You can get it to a bit further and cancel the last bit, but there’s a €6 charge for that 
. Get MAUT for the rest of your journey in the morning. Virtually every autohof has a MAUT machine.
Here’s a link to the Autohof Guide map page, to help you plan your stop. The guide only covers the autohofs just off autobahn junctions, but its a good start 
.
Clicking on the BAB-Ausfahrten link on that page will take you to a list.
Hello Try reading through the EURO STICKYS AND ALSO THE POST on vehicle documents these have items that will help you, try looking at this
LINK
It shows all the exits, if you can get a good German atlas they should show all exits as well, so have a look inside before buying, the old BUS &trucker atlas
does but this was last printed 2005, have a look in Amazon for a copy,
if you will be doing Germany regularly get a OBU unit
it save time trouble and makes your job easier, and so you can make
more profit for the firm in the end,
Coffeeholic:
Wheel Nut:
The ferry booths seem to have stopped doing the vignette, you can still get it at the tunnel or in Ashford and some brave folks say you can run to JabbekeYou don’t have to risk going that far. You can get it at the first service station in Belgium, the Texaco at Mannekensvere. That’s where I got it on Sunday when the machines were not working at the tunnel.
About time too. I just remember the notices on the doors and bullet proof screens.
Pete. I looked through the stickys to post a link to eric the kings question. I found myself more confused by the end of it and decided to post what I did.
Good point about the running time Simon though.
The vignette system has gone electronic now which means you just get a receipt not a ticket as such, they know if you’ve paid because the registration is on a database.
If I know far enough in advance I get my vignettes over the internet through DKV, but it isn’t quite the linked up, automated system it should be yet. DKV get the form and then manually put it into the system. 
If you want to know were the booths are for Vignettes or Toll collect this site has all the information,
what nobody has mentioned is expect to pay a wee bit more than for the old vignette for the priviledge of using their overcrowded, still largely 2 lane carparks 
Inselaffe:
Harry Monk posted THIS VIDEO a while ago explaining how to use a Maut machine
Good video that I wish I’d had seen it first time (probably 2n and 3rd) I had to use a machine. The bloke I worked with tried to show, but he didn’t really know either so just lost his temper with it. 
Never really understood why the credit card bit is in German only when everything you can select a language.
Hopefully the video will be of some help, but in any event there are normally manned MAUT offices at the border, the staff are very helpful and will explain what to do. Otherwise, other drivers will invariably help you use the machines.
One other piece of advice about the MAUT. When you enter Germany, you will buy it at the border. If you backload in Germany, you may not be able to buy the MAUT before you join the Autobahn but this is not a problem as you have a one hour period of grace to obtain a MAUT after joining the Autobahn so you can buy it at the services.
The MAUT system is policed by easily recognised overhead gantries which have ANPR and some unscrupulous drivers have been known to mis-declare their entry junction, stating instead that they joined the Autobahn at the entry immediately before the gantry, and I want to make it absolutely clear zat zis behavior iz striktly verboten. 
Harry Monk:
One other piece of advice about the MAUT. When you enter Germany, you will buy it at the border. If you backload in Germany, you may not be able to buy the MAUT before you join the Autobahn but this is not a problem as you have a one hour period of grace to obtain a MAUT after joining the Autobahn so you can buy it at the services.
I didn’t know that. useful bit of information Thanks